Our Prayers for Mother Amaterasu
by The Deceiving Maiden
Summary: After her powers were stripped from her again, Amaterasu couldn't see the point continuing the fight with Yami. How could she fight for anyone when they all didn't believe her. That was when Issun proved she was wrong.


**Deceiver: Guess who just finished Okami and is drowning in her own pool of tears. Goddammit, this game is so under appreciated and need more fanfics!**

 **I need to sort my feels out thanks. So enjoy!**

~.~.~.~.~

 **Our Prayers for Mother Amaterasu**

~.~.~.~.~

With one final growl, and a deathly blow from her Divine Instrument, Amaterasu final defeated Yami, the Emperor of Darkness. The battle was harsh at first without her 13 Celestial Brushes, but she pulled through when each one of her 'children' returned. No matter what form this foul foe took, he fell at her feet in the end.

Straightening herself once Yami was motionless on the floor, Amaterasu look towards Issun, who was grinning at her at the end of her snout. "Heh heh," she heard him laugh as he bounced up and down in glee. "Not bad, furball! Well, you know the drill. Let's have one of those famous howls of yours!"

With a bark, Amaterasu agreed as she whipped her head back, her howl building up at the back of throat as she got ready to let it loose with a flick of her head towards the sky. She was about to let Issun hear it…

Only to stop when she did a double take at where she saw Issun was at. The small Poncle was still there, grinning at her, yet unmoving as she whined a bit for his response. And within seconds, he slowly faded away, with his gentle green glow and all.

 _That's right…_ Amaterasu looked around her, remembering where Issun really was right now. He was not with her anymore. They parted ways before she got on the Ark of Yamato with Waka. The last time she saw him was when the door closed on her when she tried to keep an eye on her tiny green sprite in the cold waters below.

As much as she wanted him here, Amaterasu knew that was not possible. He turned his back on her on his own volition, shooing her away with his sword when she tried to say otherwise. To him, she was nothing more than a way for him to steal the techniques on how to use the 13 Celestial Brushes she possessed. There should be no reason for her to miss someone who used her and saw her as nothing else but a tool. And yet…

 _What's the point!?_ Amaterasu howled at the sky in sadness. She didn't ask for all this Godhood if it meant she was going to be alone at the end. What was the point of being a powerful deity if even those she cherished – humans, animals, sprites, and even her close friend Issun, were going to forget about her once she left!?

Without warning, Yami took this chance to strike the Goddess, grabbing her with his robotic arm before strangling her within its grip. Amaterasu tried to break free, but then a strong shock of electricity electrocuted her entire body as she was swung around like a rug doll. She could not hear her own screams, as the pain she was feeling overwhelmed her so much, to the point she could pass out but couldn't. With eyes wide, she watched how the light from her 'children' shattered around her, one by one as she cried out for them helplessly.

Once Yomigami's light Began to break away into nothing as well, Yami threw the Goddess' worthless body to the ground, letting her turn back into a powerless wolf once the God of Rejuvenation was also destroyed. All of her divine powers and weapons were stripped from her. And Amaterasu laid on the ground as Yami once again changed his robotic from. From a humanoid-like entity to a giant clawed hand. And everything was engulfed by darkness again. Back to where they started.

Amaterasu struggled to stand, but couldn't bring herself to continue the fight. She really couldn't see the point with how things now turned for the worse…

 _"Bah…That furball's always spacing out like that,_ " the Goddess blinked at the voice she heard. So familiar…yet so far… " _Ammy can't get anything done without my help!_ "

Amaterasu looked around in confusion. Was this another hallucination? As she thought that, she heard other voices speaking from within the darkness.

" _Is that doggy crying somewhere, sis?_ " Amaterasu heard the voice of a young girl sobbing…Camellia. " _Is that why the sunshine has disappeared?_ "

As Amaterasu wondered what she meant, she heard Camellia's sister reply in worry. " _I haven't seen the doggy for a while now…_ " she replied. " _Did my saying there's no such thing as gods cause all this?_ "

Such a strange thing to say from her… Before Amaterasu could think more of it though, another familiar voice was heard.

" _Snowy, the hole-digging king…_ " Mushi hummed in awe. " _I never dreamt that you were a god!_ _You're gonna make Hayabusa a nervous wreck if you don't get that sun shining again soon._ "

Wait, why were they calling her a god now? Amaterasu gave a curious growl just as Yami tried to finish her off. But before his giant fist could destroy her, a light suddenly appeared between them to shield Amaterasu from the attack. Princess Fuse stood before the Goddess, her form transparent as she spoke in a gentle tone.

" _Amaterasu…Thanks to you, we can protect our village by ourselves_ ," she gave a soft smile at the wolf. " _But you must be strong and triumph over evil, for the Canine Warriors so dearly wish to see you once more!_ "

" _Hm..._ " another transparent figure appeared beside the beautiful priestess. He was smoking a piping-hot _kiseru_ as he mumbled in wonder. " _That god sure was burning with passion. I dunno what happened, but if that mongrel doesn't come out of hiding, I'll have to send up a really big one to reignite that passion._ "

" _Ho!_ " Mr Bamboo also appeared with them, a thoughtful look on his face as rubbed his chin with his fingers. " _So that wolf was really a god? Perhaps I should have made an offering of my bamboo ware. It may be my fault that the sun has ceased to shine._ "

Their words confused Amaterasu. She didn't understand why they referred to her as a god now. No one believed she was a god, as they see her as just a plain snow-white wolf who sometimes make a miracle or two appear with her presence. Looking up at the dark sky, more voices came and flowed into her entire being.

~.~.~.~.~

Mr and Mrs Orange stared at the paintings in their hand, a look of wonder on their faces as they both looked up at the sky in Kamiki Village. "Who would have ever thought," the village elder final said, "that rascal was really Shiranui reborn!?"

"My, my. How that god loved my Cherry Cakes!" Mrs Orange smiled softly at the memory, but quickly soon began to worry. "Could this darkness be caused by hunger?"

~.~.~.~.~

In Sasa Sanctuary, Jamba studied the painting held carefully within his wings. Silent for a while, he finally looked up at the sky and gave a low _chirp_.

"Uh-oh!" His underlings began to tremble. "The boss is…praying!"

~.~.~.~.~

"Snowy… Did something happen to you?" Kushi asked the wolf painted on the piece of parchment she held, before looking up at the dark sky with a frown on her face. "Why has the sun suddenly disappeared?"

Beside her, Susano gave a huff, shaking his head in disgust at what he just heard. "Fido won't roll over and play dead for evil!" he began to laugh. "No brother of mine would dream of it! Muwaahaha!"

~.~.~.~.~

"Something in your brushwork touches the heart, Issun," Oki finally spoke after admiring the painting in his hand. He looked at where he last saw the snarky Poncle with a small grin. "You never abandoned your life as an artist after all. When one tries to master something, it ends in either success or failure," he looked up to snow-filled dark sky. "But it is in the attempt itself where you find the true value," he added whole heartedly. "Believe in your own power and walk your own path."

~.~.~.~.~

"Issun…" Otohime ran her hand gently across the painting of Amaterasu she held in her hand. "I see you have finally heeded your calling. Your resolve is plain to see in your drawing," she closed her eyes as warm tears began to run down her cheeks. "It has the power to move people's hearts and inspire their faith in the gods! Amaterasu," she looked up to pray strongly from the depths of her heart, "their faith shall be your power!"

~.~.~.~.~

"Hahaha!" Ishaku bounced around Ponc'tan, waving his grandson's painting about in great joy and pride. He didn't care if his back hurt like hell. This was the best thing he had ever seen! "He did it! My grandson did it!" he shouted loud enough for every Poncle to hear. "Look at the spirit behind this beautiful brushwork! He truly deserves the title of Celestial Envoy!"

Stopping at the front of his house, he elderly Poncle looked up at the sky too, knowing his old partner could hear him, even if the sun was engulfed by the darkness. "It's work like this that can show the true glory of the gods and guide people to the right path," he commented quietly, a soft smile on his face. "There's one thing I'm sure of, Amaterasu. You've found a much better companion than I could ever be!"

~.~.~.~.~

Amaterasu could not only hear it now. She could also see everyone sending their praises to her. There were so many, she couldn't make out who was talking about what. But amongst all the buzzing noises, she could hear one distinctly familiar voice. And could see him too as he frantically bounced around Sei'an City to throw hundreds of his paintings into the air for everyone to see.

"Okay, everyone!" Issun shouted loudly as he continued to spread his work around, even painting up a new one in quick, yet precise brushstrokes. "I know it's kinda hard to see in this darkness, but get a load of my latest work!" Once he was done with a new batch of painting and had a slight breeze from Galestorm to help dry the ink, he also spread those paintings around too. "Issun the wandering artist presents his interpretation of the great god Amaterasu!"

At this point everyone should have a copy of his painting, but that didn't stop his constant painting and preaching. Amaterasu watched how he looked up at the sky as he continued his work, as if to talk to her directly, even when they were worlds apart. "Can you hear me, Ammy? You're not floundering about without me, are ya? You gotta pull yourself together! I finally chose my path. And I have the resolve to see it through!" he grinned his trademark grin. "I've started to roam the land as your missionary. But you gotta take care of things on your end, too! Don't look so sad. Just psych yourself up like we always did, remember?

"Oops, I almost forgot," he caught himself stop doing his work, so he quickly finished his next batch of painting and began to spread those around again. "Check these out, everyone! It's the great god Amaterasu descending from the heavens! Pretty good, huh?" Everyone around him agreed, taken in by what the small Poncle painted with such passion. "Ammy was smiling down from the sky just a little while ago. Something musta disturbed the furball's concentration, though. That's why the world has gone dark." He nodded knowingly. "Without Ammy, we can't take a refreshing nap outdoors. Rice won't grow. Plants and flowers will wither. Laundry won't dry. Monsters will roam about like they own the place. In other words, our world will be a total mess! No one wants to live in a world like that! Especially me!"

There was a chorus of agreement within the crowd. Now that they learned how this wolf had helped them so much, and how she was in danger now, they wished fervently to do something to pay back for what she had done. Seeing how his words now reached them, Issun put his brush-sword down and stood at the centred of the crowd.

"So, c'mon everybody! Let's join together to call upon the great god," he closed his eyes and put his hands together in a prayer. "Let's show Ammy that we truly believe! Put your hands together and pray. Let's make our gratitude obvious!" at his words, his linked hands began to glow, along with those who were already doing the same. "I mean, we shouldn't pray only when we want something. We should consider how the gods must feel once in a while. We should even take on some of their burden. If you pray with all your heart, maybe the sun will cheer up and show itself once again, lighting our world with its heavenly glow!"

One by one, everyone began to do the same. Not just those in Sei'an City, but everyone across Nippon as well. Their prayers also started to emit their own light within their hands, which Issun could see when he took a peek, and it made him grin. "After all, the best thing about the great god Amaterasu," he added a matter a-factly, "is that happy-go-lucky spirit! Right, Ammy?" he turned to sky before he finished off his prayers for her.

" _Answer if you can hear me, ya big furball!_ "

~.~.~.~.~

By now, the darkness around Amaterasu was filled with hundreds of small, speckles of light surrounding her. They swayed within the air as they each shone a warm, gentle glow at her. Each light represented everyone's prayers for her. Filled with their hopes and gratitude for her. And even though Amaterasu had heard a lot of prayers during her journey, this was different from the rest.

Before everyone always ask of her for something, either in desperate need or for their own selfish reasons.

This time though, they were full of love and devotion for her.

They wish to help her. Not ask her for her help.

They were not asking for the sun to come back. They wanted to help her bring the sun back.

Small trickles of tears spilled from her eyes as she watched the beauty of everyone's prayers continue swirl around her. Yami couldn't even touch or destroy a single one of them. Looking forward, Amaterasu saw one of the lights floated towards her, entering her body to fill her with all the love and thoughtfulness for her. There was a sigh of relief, as this was Issun's prayers for her, and it was filled with everything her small Poncle friend had truly thought of her.

After that, more prayers flowed into her, one prayer at a time. She could recognise who they were from, making her smile as they were giving her strength to continue her fight again. The light from Kabegami and Moegami had returned, followed by the rest of the Celestial Brush gods. It didn't stop there though. Even though all her 'children' had returned, the prayers from all over Nippon continued to flow into her, making her drown within their light.

Know their thoughts were with her now, Amaterasu felt her strength reach its peak as she used her tail to swish around to create a circle in the sky. A bright red light shone within the darkness, making Yami recoil from the sun's impossible return. But it didn't stop there. Amaterasu stepped forward, her powers reaching its full potential as crimson red markings etched all over her white body, with glowing white streams of light flowing from her.

Howling at the sky once more, she let everyone know of her return. She was not going to let them down. She was going to fight for them as they send their praises to her.

For she was Okami Amaterasu.

Origin of all that was good and mother to all.

And she was going to fight for those she loved and those who loved her back.


End file.
